


Surprise, it's Failed Hot Chocolate!

by Christian_Richtown, This_Solaris_Life



Series: It's A Little Cold Outside [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Deaf Character, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Hot Chocolate, Kissing, Surprises, Winter fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:54:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27916339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Christian_Richtown/pseuds/Christian_Richtown, https://archiveofourown.org/users/This_Solaris_Life/pseuds/This_Solaris_Life
Summary: Tao Ren returns from visiting family to find his apartment not the way he left it.
Relationships: Zhao Xia/Tao Ren
Series: It's A Little Cold Outside [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044093





	Surprise, it's Failed Hot Chocolate!

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt list is found [here](https://the-sassiest-trixster.tumblr.com/post/189822154311/25-prompts-of-christmas).

“Thank you.” Zhao Xia said with a grin to the young man in the grocery check out. He nodded as she took her bags to head back to Tao Ren’s apartment. She was lucky to find a store open this late. She thought that with her grocery order that she’d gotten everything but she’d forgotten some of the ingredients to her lovely boyfriend’s homemade frozen hot chocolate. 

The flurry filled breeze had her shivering beneath her coat. She really should have put his pea coat on. It was fur lined and smelled of his cologne. Zhao Xia pulled her arms close and wasn’t even halfway to the apartment when her phone went off. “Answer.” She instructed her headset as Siri’s voice filled her ears asking her if she wanted to answer the phone. 

“Hello?” She greeted, knowing that it was one of her siblings. It was still too early for her darling boyfriend. Her teeth chattered as walked.

“Xia- _jie,”_ Zhao Ai’s voice filtered through, sounding sleepy. “So, clearly your plane didn’t crash. Welcome home. A-Wan told me she saw grocery shopping? Preparing a little something for your boy toy?”

“Perhaps, your nosey A-Wan should have joined me and gotten you some more of that tea. You sound horrible.” Zhao Xia laughed, as she listened to her sister cough. “And maybe I do have something planned. His plane is coming in later because of the snow. Hopefully he likes it.”

“You. Cooking. You actually think this is a good idea?” Zhao Ai sniffled around a shuffling noise, which was her burrowing deeper into her blanket. 

“It’s mostly ice anyways.” Zhao Xia chuckled. “If that fails then I’ll do the whole instant same and mix some of his chocolate bites inside. Are you going to be okay?” She earned a look from a bypasser but she didn’t care. Zhao Xia wasn’t worried. The building for the apartment was in sight even if it was near the end of the block.

“I’m fine,” Zhao Ai huffed. “Just don’t blow up the blender. You remember what happened with Bin- _ge_ that one time.”

“It was one of those ninja-nothings. So don’t be dramatic. Not that you can do much of anything. I know that _we_ don’t get sick but I bet you love being coddled by your women.” Zhao Xia teased her sister. She let out a happy huff. “And if it makes you feel better, his kitchen is made with the best. And A-Yi made us those margaritas during girls night we had there when my apartment gas line messed up.” 

“Still, if you call me crying, I’m only going to laugh,” Zhao Ai warned before she gave a happy hum. “And girls’ night. We need another one. Soon. With _all_ the baijiu that Yi- _jie_ thinks we don’t know she stashes in her pantry.”

“We should go over and do another house warming party at her new place and my housewarming I mean girls night with pizza and Wan-jie’s _magic_ brownies.” Zhao Xia responded, fondly. “And preferably when you’re not sick.”

A long sniffle answered that. “I’m not sick. Zhao’s don’t get sick. You know the rules.”

“Right, I…” Zhao Xia snorted, using her hip to access the keycard pad on the post by the doors of Tao Ren’s apartment building front doors. The doors automatically opened allowing her to go in without using her hands. “Do know the rules. But I also know that Heng-jie shipped your suits away to Gu Chang to be _altered_ but that didn’t come from me.” She laughed at her sister’s huff slash cough at the revelation as she stepped into the elevator. 

“Rude,” Zhao Ai pouted. “So rude. I’m surrounded by rude traitors.”

“Then dress _appropriately_ and listen to your wives. Happy wives make a happy home. Isn’t that what they say.” Zhao Xia said gleefully that attention was no longer on her poor cooking skills. She stepped out of the elevator to use her hip again to unlock the door on the apartment to the left of the elevator. 

“Wish me luck and you let your wives take care of you. Don’t be like _baba_ and try to act like you're not.” 

A long sigh. “Fine. Good luck. Don’t blow up the blender,” Zhao Ai told her, sounding pouty.

“Love ya.” Zhao Xia said as her goodbye before reaching up to tap her AirPod. She let out a sigh and set herself down on the bench so she could kick off her sneakers. “Now let’s get this started. Siri. Play Baobei’s Christmas tunes.” 

When Tao Ren came home, it was to a sight of chaos. For a moment, he could only blink from the doorway and wonder how there was chocolate on his ceiling and icing splattered on his coat rack. Cautiously, he toed off his shoes and peeked around the entryway into the kitchen, knocking on the wall. Zhao Xia was supposed to have gotten in first, so he assumed she was the source of the mess, and there she was, just as covered in chocolate and icing the rest of the kitchen.

He snorted in amusement at her pouting face. _What happened?_ He signed, taking in the point of destruction which happened to be his blender. _Are you alright?_

“Me. I happened, _baobei_. I am so sorry.” Zhao Xia sniffled as she went to turn off the music between signing. Her eyes were glossy as she stepped to go to him but realized her state. “I’ll clean this up. I promise. Go take a bath and relax.” 

He caught her hands and kissed them, mess and all, and leaned in to kiss her lips, a smudge of chocolate on his mouth. There was love in his eyes as he lowly chuckled, taking time to kiss her hands in tender worship a good moment before letting go. _We can clean it up together,_ he said, happily, and swiped away some icing that had gotten on her cheek. _May I ask what you were trying to make? We can make that together too._

“I, uh, found this recipe in one of your older handwritten cookbooks for frozen hot chocolate.” Zhao Xia blushed, signing wobbly as the other swiped another spot of chocolate off her neck. “Apparently, blenders have holes on top.” 

He nodded seriously to that before smiling and kissing her again. _Welcome home,_ he signed, like this was all perfectly normal, and pressed another kiss to her lips. _And that is a great recipe. I’ll show you how mama always made it. Okay?_

“Ok-kay,” Zhao Xia stuttered against his lips before kissing him back just as sweet. Her hands itched to slip in his hair, but they were covered in chocolate. She still needed to clean the kitchen and entryway up. “But let’s clean up my mess first.” 

He chuckled and nodded, heart warm and happy with all the love and adoration he felt for her. _I’ll get the mop._

“I will get the broom and pan along with some more towels.” Zhao Xia responded, heading for his little utility closet. She handed him the mop and got the broom and dust pan.

He took it and over the next hour, helped her clean the mess. As he dumped out the mop pan, he took in the sight of her all over again and pulled her into his arms, hugging her close. _Thank you,_ he mouthed into her neck before he lifted her off her feet, grinning up at her.

“You’re welcome” Zhao Xia chuckled out with her yelp from being lifted up. She loosely wrapped her legs over his hips. Zhao Xia was glad that she’d remembered to take off her apron. “Hot chocolate and cuddles? Maybe after a bath. I smell like chocolate and cream.”

He couldn’t hear her, of course, but nodded as he tracked her lips. He kissed her softly and shuffled off with her towards the bathroom.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow us on twitter at [ThisSolarisLife](https://twitter.com/thissolarislife) & [Christian_Richtown](https://twitter.com/christi64860214).


End file.
